// LEGAL / PRIVACY POLICY

Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 12, 2026

1. Basic Policy

Trypophobia Research Institute (the "Site") respects user privacy and is committed to protecting personal information. This policy explains what information we collect, how it is used, and when it may be shared with third parties.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Automatically collected

IP address (to prevent duplicate voting, aggregate trial results, and prevent spam)
Browser type and version (User-Agent)
Access time and pages viewed
Cookies for theme and language preferences

2.2 Voluntarily provided

When taking the resonance trial, you may optionally provide the following (results are shown even if you skip these):

Gender (male / female)
Age
Occupation category

These are used solely for statistical analysis and are never linked to personally identifying information.

3. Third-Party Services

3.1 Google Analytics

This Site may use Google Analytics for traffic analysis. Google Analytics collects user information via cookies; this data is anonymous and does not identify individuals.

Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

3.2 Google AdSense

This Site may use third-party advertising service Google AdSense. Third-party ad vendors including Google may use cookies (including the DoubleClick cookie) to display ads based on user interests.

To opt out of personalized advertising: Ads Settings

4. Cookies

This Site uses cookies for the following purposes:

Saving the theme preference (light / dark)
Saving the language preference
Remembering consent to the content warning
Ad delivery by third-party advertising services

Cookies can be disabled in your browser settings, although some features may stop working.

5. How Information Is Used

Aggregating and statistically analyzing trial results
Improving the service and developing new features
Preventing unauthorized access and spam
Optimizing ad delivery

6. Sharing with Third Parties

We never share personal information with third parties without user consent, except as required by law. We may, however, publish statistical data in anonymized form.

7. Data Retention

Anonymous, aggregated trial data may be retained indefinitely for service improvement and academic research. Personally identifying information is deleted promptly once it is no longer needed.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

Request disclosure of information held about you
Request correction or deletion of your information
Request suspension of use or third-party sharing of your personal information

Please reach out via the contact form.

9. Health Disclaimer

The aggregate-pattern images and trial results on this Site do not constitute medical diagnosis or treatment. If trypophobia symptoms interfere with your daily life, please consult a qualified medical professional.

10. Changes to This Policy

This privacy policy may be revised as needed. Significant changes will be announced on the Site.

11. Contact

For questions about this policy, please use the contact form.